Taste of Tippecanoe

Last year, I went to the Taste of Tippecanoe just purely to photograph a friend's band, White Vinyl Sky. I had just bought my Nikon D750 off the recommendation of Andrew Hancock, and was completely wow'ed by its performance. I even made one of my favorite photos of the year with the camera that day.

Now this year, I was there just to have some fun. A close friend lives in a building facing Third Street and the County Courthouse, and a group of us gathered there in the afternoon prior to the streets closing for the Taste.  His apartment was an obvious place to enjoy the sights and sounds of the festival. I decided to navigate downtown, jumping from food stand to food stand while everyone else wandered on their own. It gave me some time to capture some photos on my own, and  wander what downtown Lafayette has to offer during the summer. 

Bernie Sanders Arrives at Purdue

Bernie Sanders announced on Monday that he would be coming to Purdue to speak to a limited number of attendees. All politics aside, having the chance to photograph a Presidential candidate was going to be a great opportunity. The line wrapped around the Co-Rec and down Third Street and many of the people gathered had waited hours to get in.

Indiana is hardly ever a battle ground state, and Purdue often doesn't have many politicians visit its campus. I can remember going through old bound versions of The Exponent, and seeing photos from Ronald Reagan's visit in 1987. I can see why people are excited about Sanders, he is a good speaker with a lot of charisma and can identify with his audience. But, I voted in the New Hampshire primary so my vote has already been cast. Indiana's primary election is on May 3rd, get out and vote.     

Snow covers Purdue

Over the past few months I've been working I've been keeping some late hours, working night job to help float my bills. Basically, it has turned me into a night owl and my nights last a lot longer than they used to. Last week a blanket of snow fell on Purdue's campus and I was still awake at 5:30 a.m. to get out and take some photos while the snow was still fresh.

At that hour, many of Purdue's Building and Grounds staff was out clearing the snow too. Without those people, Purdue would cease to function the way that it does every night. A tip of the cap to those who keep Purdue running, day in and day out. 

"Here we go Steelers, here we go" A weekend in Pittsburgh.

I grew up knowing one thing on Sundays, do not disturb my father while he watched the Steelers play. The television was his for the three plus hours, that the Black and Gold fought on the gridiron. The phone would sporadically ring if there was a big play, a controversial call or just something my uncle or grandfather needed to rant about. 

When I was old enough to be conscious of professional sports, I began to participate in this weekly tradition. From there, we made started to make another tradition of attending a game each year. The four of us got to see one of the only times in the NFL that a game ended in a tie. It had been years since I had been back in Pittsburgh. Until this weekend.

Saturday night I met my uncle and dad in Pittsburgh. We wandered our way around the city after dinner, having a few drinks and remembering the times that we had spent in the past. Sunday morning, we went and visited a few of the spots that had some meaning to our family. The house where my grandfather grew up, the steel mill where he started his first job and "Duck Hollow" where some of our family still lives. 

Finally, we made our way over to Heinz Field. The Steelers were facing the Broncos, a game that had been built up as a solid matchup and had serious playoff implications for the Steelers. The first half didn't go quite the way we had expected. Something changed though, and the Steelers didn't give up another point in the second half and went on to win the game. 

I've been trying to keep a camera with me all the time now. Even if it's just my small Fuji X-100S, like I had with me this weekend. There's always so much to document and I enjoy doing it. These memories with my uncle and dad I will have forever, but now I can also share them with everyone. 

Homecoming at Purdue

It was Homecoming at Purdue, I was fortunate enough to work with Purdue's Alumni Association to help document the weekend's events including and Alumni dinner featuring the Purdue Glee Club, Friday night's Homecoming Parade, and the festivities leading up to Saturday's game against Illinois. Homecoming seems to be losing the feel that it once had of the classic return of graduated students and a rally of the current students to fill with nothing but school Pride. Each year, it begins to get smaller and smaller. One could say that is because of the lack of success our football team has had in recent years, or that students are just interested in other things now. But nevertheless I still enjoyed my assignment and being out on a beautiful Saturday morning. 

Call to action Rally at Purdue

Following the protest on University of Missouri's campus, students at Purdue chose to hold their on demonstration in support. Racial tension on Purdue's campus has been highly debated over the past several years after numerous accounts of racial charged acts have occurred. I covered a protest similar to this in the Spring of 2013, my first semester as Editor-in-chief of The Exponent, after a racial epithet had been found written on a wall in Purdue's Black Cultural Center. The writing was not placed there maliciously, but was determined to have been written during a classroom activity. 

Live Burn

After documenting the Tippecanoe Township Volunteer Fire Department for close to six months, I was finally able to attend one of their training sessions. Woke up early Saturday morning to meet at the station in Battle Ground, Ind. before heading over to Lafayette to meet up with the Wabash Township and Buck Creek Volunteer Fire Departments. After quick breakfast at the Eye Opener Café and a cup of coffee to go, I caravanned with the crew to the training center. A few hours of putting out fires and simulated situations, the chilly, overcast day was over.

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Shades State Park

Needed a little bit of some time outdoors this past weekend. So I decided to head to Shades State Park in Waveland, Ind., which was about an hour away from West Lafayette. I picked the absolute perfect day to go, no crowds and some beautiful weather. 

Hilton Head, S.C.

Went on the annual Thomas family trip to Hilton Head for the 4th of July, as we have for the past close to two decades now. A week at the beach, a few rounds of golf and time with family always makes it a memorable occasion. 

Fiddler's Gathering

Saturday morning began as I traveled to Battle Ground, Ind. to continue my story on the Tippecanoe Township Volunteer Fire Department. It was hosting a pancake breakfast in the basement of one of the local churches to coincide with the Fiddler's Gathering which was being held that weekend. More or less on a whim, I decided to go to The Gathering and work on a video project of Saturday's events. All of Friday night's performances were canceled due to rain, but the weather was gorgeous all-day Saturday. The music and the hospitality of both the performers and visitors was just simply perfect. 

New York City

To begin, it's still unbelievable that I was witness to American Pharoah's Triple Crown win this weekend at the Belmont Stakes. Assisting Andrew Hancock for Sports Illustrated was an amazing opportunity and was such a memorable weekend.

We left for New York early Thursday morning from Indianapolis and after checking into the hotel on Long Island, we traveled into the City. I was on my own for a few hours, so I took that time to explore Times Square and Manhattan for a few hours. It was dark and cold, a complete contrast from Friday when once again I went back across the East River. This time I went a little further south, and it felt like a completely different city. The sun was out, and we made a quick  visit to Magnum photographer Eli Reed's A Long Walk Alone in the Leica Gallery in Greenwich Village. 

Overall, it was such an amazing trip. Met a lot of other photographers and editors, came home with some photos and a lot of memories. 

Kentucky Derby

It has been an exhausting past couple of days. Beginning last Wednesday I traveled to Louisville's  Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby to assist Nikon Ambassador Andrew Hancock. Early mornings and late nights were the norm, but I think the photos that he got were absolutely worth the work. I even got a nice dousing by a sprinkler from the turf track while we set up this shot. For my first Derby, it was a memorable time. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The pageantry of the outrageous hats, being just yards away from these powerful animals and the excitement that went along with each and ever race around the track. I came away with some images of my own beginning from our early mornings in the stables. After our daily setups were over, I got the opportunity to explore the Downs and take in the other daily races. What a weekend, I can't wait to do it again.